Commanders made things much easier for Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota couldn't do it alone. The Washington Commanders knew that their veteran quarterback needed help to come through for them. It was a challenge everyone rose to accordingly.
The Commanders took their Week 2 loss against the Green Bay Packers personally. They were right at the top of their respective games in all phases. This came at the first whistle and continued until the end. It also made life much easier for Mariota along the way.
Washington's defense performed well. The special-teams unit, especially the kick return game, was nothing short of exceptional. This gave Mariota enough leeway to manage the game effectively, take chances when they came along, and protect the football down the stretch.
The offensive line met their end of the bargain, keeping Mariota's pocket relatively clean and conceding just one sack. Sometimes, all you need is a little extra balance to get things trending up. And the Commanders were never in any real danger thanks to a much more well-rounded effort.
Putting up 40 points is difficult in the NFL. Mariota's touchdown pass to Luke McCaffery put the exclamation point on proceedings late on, which capped off a comfortable afternoon and propelled his passer rating to 118.4 for good measure.
But make no mistake, this was a collective effort.
Marcus Mariota got the job done
Jayden Daniels' absence didn't end up being that big of a deal. The Commanders overcame some early jitters to put together their most accomplished performance of the campaign. Marcus Mariota kept things churning along, and he didn't look out of place whatsoever.
Mariota got the job done. His individual performance might not go down among the greats in franchise history, but he was always doing just enough to be a sustainable force under center. That's all the Commanders, or any other team, want from their backup quarterback. And Washington just so happens to have one of the most productive around.
The veteran completed 71.42 percent of his passes for 207 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. He lost a fumble but gained 40 yards on the ground from six carries. The Commanders got back to winning ways, and their No. 2 option under center played effective, efficient football to steer them on the right path.
In an ideal world, Daniels will be starting again next weekend when they travel to the Atlanta Falcons, who are reeling from a blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers. But if the Commanders decide to give him another week to heal, Mariota is more than capable of getting one over on another of his old teams.